Text 11958, 151 rader
Skriven 2008-08-12 07:19:00 av Michael Loo (1:18/200.0)
  Kommentar till text 11835 av Sean Dennis (1:18/200.0)
Ärende: burgers, bbs, gas 756
=============================
 SD> I believe they're hand-formed.  If not, there's slight 
 SD> irregularities between patties, but they're still good.

Dirty Dave gave an explanation that seems plausible.

 ML> Does the chili have beans, that's the question.
 SD> Yes.  However, I like my chili with beans, so that doesn't bother me
 SD> too much. 

I prefer the unadulterated taste of chiles, garlic, beef,
cumin, and onion. No dilution except sometimes a little
rice or spaghetti. Further, my way doesn't promote gas.

 SD> I don't know if they have onion rings, but I know beer is 
 SD> not served (no alcohol at all).  They do have root beer 
 SD> though.

If alcohol were served at all, it'd likely be beer, which
is, other than the calories and carbs and farts, pretty
innocuous. Next time I'm in Germany I should take a trip to
a McDonald's, as they serve beer there to all and sundry.

 ML> Mine is a burger plain without cheese (lettuce, tomato, and
 ML> onion optional - I tend to strip them out of the sandwich and eat
 ML> them as a salad).
 SD> They serve all the veggies on the side so you can build it 
 SD> how you want it.  I liked that about them.

Sort of like Fudd's, which offers a topping and condiment bar?
I recall onion, tomatoes, salsa, lettuce, pickled jalapeno wheels,
shaved cheese, cheese whizoid, and possibly chili-con-beans, as
well as your usual ketchup, mayo, mustard, bbq sauce, and vinegar
hot sauce. I use jalapenos and onion only, though the time I got
the putrefied burger (I didn't send it back, because it appeared
that at this particular Fudd's, all the meat was dubious, though
the condiment bar had spectacularly fresh stuff) I used hot sauce
as well to kill the taste.

 ML> I won't say anything about good or bad taste, but you have to be a
 ML> little suspicious of a state that names its football team after a
 ML> race of vicious dogs.
 SD> Well, Georgia Tech uses an insect for their mascot.

Actually, I should(n't) talk - my alma mater's mascot is a
color.

 SD> If we get one that has enough room, I know we'd be happy to host a
 SD> picnic  down here.  A distinct advantage for us is that we're about 
 SD> a 30 minute drive (using the back roads) from Hartsfeld-
 SD> Jackson and there's plenty of hotels along the I-20 
 SD> corridor in Douglasville.

If it's convenient for you, that would be great. If not, another
time or another place, no biggie.

 ML> The next one went fine, too, but I'm sending this packet
 ML> out through Doc's to share the wealth, as it were.
 SD> Sure thing.  Right now, you're my only caller, heh.

I noticed that on your welcome screen the last couple times -
I was call #29 and then, a day after, call #30. By the way, your
dumping me right into the mail area worked fine. Was there another
lost packet, though? I saw a response to a message from Doc's
that I don't recall seeing. Later I'll go on Doc's and check.

Another mushroom ketchup
Cat: condiment
Yield: 4 c

1 1/2 lb mushrooms, firm and fresh
1-1/2 Tb pickling salt
1 oz dried boletus mushrooms
3 c hot tap water
2 c white wine vinegar
3 lg shallots, peeled
- or 1 sm onion, peeled
1 garlic clove, peeled
10 whole allspice berries
- or 1/4 ts ground allspice
4 whole cloves
3 lg mace blades
2 bay leaves
1/2 ts ground ginger
1/2 ts freshly ground pepper
1/4 c medium or dry sherry

Wipe mushrooms with a damp cloth, or brush them clean.
Avoid washing them if possible; if it is necessary, swish
them rapidly through a bowl of water and lift and drain
them promptly. Trim off any discolored stem ends or damaged
portions. Slice the mushrooms thin (a food processor
fitted with the thin-slicing disc makes short work of
this task) and mix them thoroughly with the salt in a
ceramic bowl. Cover mushrooms with a cloth and let them
stand 24 hr, stirring occasionally. They will become
very dark (the finished ketchup will be approximately
the color of black bean soup).

At least 1 hr before the end of the salting period,
combine the dried boletus mushrooms with the hot tap water;
let them stand, covered, until completely soft.

Lift the soaked mushrooms from their liquid with a slotted
spoon (this is to eliminate any grit that may be in the
liquid) and place them in the container of a blender or
food processor. Let soaking liquid settle for a minute or
two, then carefully pour it over the mushrooms, stopping
before any grit is poured out. Puree the soaked mushrooms,
then pour the puree into a preserving pan. Without rinsing
the blender container, puree the salted mushrooms; add
this puree to that in the pan.

Place about 1/2 c vinegar in the blender and add shallots
and garlic; process them to a puree. Add this puree to the
mixture in the pan, together with the rest of the vinegar,
the allspice, cloves, mace, bay leaves, ginger, and
pepper. Bring the mixture to boiling over medium-high
heat, lower heat, and simmer the ketchup, uncovered,
stirring often, for 1 to 1 1/2 hr, or until the tiny
fragments of mushroom are very soft, almost jellylike,
and the ketchup is thick.

To test for correct consistency, pour a spoonful onto
a saucer and let it stand 10 min, with the pot off the
heat; if very little or no liquid seeps from the solids,
the ketchup has thickened enough. If it does not pass
this test, resume the cooking for as long as necessary.

Press ketchup through a sieve to remove the bay leaves
and whole spices, then puree it again, in batches if
necessary, in a blender or food processor, running the
machine until the texture is velvety smooth.

Return ketchup to the rinsed-out pan and bring it to a
boil again over medium-high heat, stirring it constantly.
Stir in the sherry.

Ladle the boiling-hot ketchup into hot, clean half-pint
or pint canning jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Seal jars
with new two-piece canning lids according to manufacturer's
directions and process for 15 min (for either size jar) in
a boiling-water bath. Cool, label and store the jars. Let
ketchup mellow for a few weeks before serving it. Keeps
for at least a year in a cool pantry.

From Helen Witty, Fancy Pantry, found on About.com

___ Blue Wave/386 v2.30

--- Maximus/2 3.01
 * Origin: Nocturnal State BBS (1:18/200)